AZuser

September 2012 Sales



Kia Motors America Records Best Third Quarter And 25th Consecutive Monthly Sales Record In September

Annual Sales Up 18.4 Percent for the Fastest-Growing Car Company in the U.S. Over the Last Five Years [1]

IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Kia Motors America (KMA) is the fastest growing car company in the United States and the brand's unprecedented momentum reached new highs in September, achieving a record third quarter and the 25th consecutive month of record sales, reaching 48,105 units, a 35.1-percent increase over the same period in 2011. September once again saw KMA's U.S.-built* vehicles take the top sales honors. The Optima midsize sedan sold 14,304 units and the Sorento CUV enjoyed sales of 10,066 vehicles. The Soul accounted for 9,467 units sold, bolstered by the recent launch of the "Bringing Down the House" advertising campaign featuring the music-loving Kia hamsters and the dance anthem "In My Mind" (Axwell remix).

Lending credibility to the company's significant sales increases, Kia Motors Corporation enters the exclusive list of the "Top 100 Best Global Brands," according to the 2012 study released today by Interbrand, the world's largest brand consultancy agency. Kia's remarkable increase in brand value is now estimated at $4.1 billion, which firmly sets the automaker at 87th on the list. This is a 50 percent increase from last year's estimated brand value and far exceeds the average automotive brand value growth rate of only 11 percent for the year.

"Kia's product-led transformation – together with our successful marketing – have elevated Kia's reputation beyond our bedrock commitment to value," said Byung Mo Ahn, group president and CEO of KMA and KMMG. "At Kia, we work to understand the needs and expectations of our customers and work to find new ways to enrich their lives, providing the Kia brand with powerful potential as more new products and technologies are set to arrive in the next 12 months."

TSX69

Honda/Acura Reports Sept Sales

American Honda today reported September 2012 U.S. sales of 117,211 units, an increase of 30.9% compared with September 2011. The Honda Division posted September 2012 sales of 102,845 units, an increase of 29.3% compared with September 2011. Acura's U.S. September sales of 14,366 units increased 43.5% compared with September 2011.

Honda

Accord leads all Honda vehicles in September with 29,182 in sales posting a 56.6% gain compared to the year prior
Civic gains 57.0 percent compared with September 2011 with 21,546 in sales
CR-V sets a new September record with sales of 22,268, up 13.6%

"The all-new 2013 Accord hit dealerships in mid-September and our dealers are already seeing a significant increase in customer traffic surrounding the new model," said John Mendel, American Honda executive vice president of sales. "Combined with the strength of key models such as Civic, CR-V and Odyssey, Honda is once again firing on all cylinders as we enter fall."

Acura

RDX sets its 5th-consecutive record sales month with 2,938 units, up 119.9% compared to September 2011
MDX retains the top-selling Acura title with sales of 4,692 units, up more than 60.4% from September 2011
TL sedan sales up 29.1% from last year with 3,236 in monthly sales

"Acura's core models of TL and MDX continue as a driving force for the brand," said Jeff Conrad, vice president of Acura sales. "Now, we have new products such as RDX setting monthly sales records and the ILX continuing to carve out a foothold as the gateway to our lineup."

The daily selling rate (DSR) is calculated with 25 days for September 2012 and 25 days for September 2011. Year-to-date, the DSR is calculated with 230 days for 2012 and 229 days for 2011. All other percentages in release are unadjusted; see table for adjusted DSR figures.

AZuser

Dang. TSX sales tanked. Wonder what happened... every potential TSX buyer decided to get '13 Accord instead?

@ CR-Z, Insight, ZDX sales.

@ Crossturd sales.

Doesn't look like ILX will make sales projections of 40K per year if they continue at this rate.

Moog-Type-S

Yea, the ILX is not selling as well as they had hoped.

...and tick-tock on the death of the CR-Z, Insight, and ZDX.

Rocketsfan

I wonder how many of would-be TSX sales are going to the ILX (or vice versa)? Combined, they're slightly higher than TSX sales from last September.

Ken1997TL

For every CR-Z sold in the US, Honda loses money. That comes from high up the food chain. Same goes for TSXs, RLs, Fits, Insights.. All made in Japan. Yen to dollar ratio.

EhkoXC

At least in my area there just don't seem to be many TSX's to sell. My dealer has about 10 of them across various combinations (base, tech, SE, etc), but that's about it. Throw in on top of that I don't think a single dealer in the area has any 2013s yet.

As for the ILX I think it all comes down to marketing. Yes, I realize there are problems with the drivetrain combination, but that's not the point I'm getting to here. Buick is moving the Verano at a pretty good pace, and while it may have the stat edge it doesn't really outperform the ILX since the ILX is about 400 lbs lighter while only having about 30 less HP. The ILX arguably has a nicer interior too, though that's admittedly a completely personal opinion.

The difference seems to be that I can't turn on the TV without seeing a Verano commercial, while I haven't really seen an ILX commercial since the initial advertising blitz. The awareness just isn't there for the product. I would bet if I mentioned the Acura ILX to my non-car friends I would get blank stares while mentioning the Buick Verano would get a reaction of "Oh, the car Peyton Manning is doing commercials for!" That's a problem.

AZuser

So what you're saying is that even with the discounts (i.e. loss of profit), Honda still can't sell them.

Isn't the Toyota Prius still made in Japan? Toyota's selling a lot of them. Why? Could it be that the CR-Z and Insight are not very good?

Costco

Crossturd I like that. I cringe almost every time I see one on the road.

VTEC Racer

The loss of profit is due to the yen to dollar exchange rate, not discounts.

There are more Honda dealers than there are CR-Z's in the United States. There needs to be CR-Z's in stock for them to sell, and preferably one that's the color and trim that you would want. Good luck finding a dealer that has one, and the one you want.

U.S. inventory of the Insight is half of CR-Z inventory, making it's situation even worse.

F23A4

There's a market for them apparently. Probably the same type of folks who would go for the Suby Outback.

regarding the ILX. Although I do think that sales will pick up a bit once the TSX is (regrettably) dead and buried, it's not going to be a great seller. Honestly, after having driven the ILX, I'm not sure I'd get one over a Ford Focus Titanium....which doesn't even break the $25k mark even with Navi.

biker

The TSX sedan sales were down but not the wagon. At that ratio (sedan to wagon) Honda could sell 5K/mo Accord wagons (instead of the Crossturd).

ttribe

I had the same reaction to the Crosstour #'s. Were there substantial incentives in place on that model during the time period?

Legend2TL

MDX sales up 60% and RDX up 120%.

Amazing what a simple drivetrain swap and redesign can do.

I guess no one else saw the elephants in the room

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

The Accord is the better deal at this moment against the TSX. I think the ILX is affected but since it's a smaller car with a newer design, it's not affected as badly? With that said, I doubt the ILX will make sales projections right with the TSX still here and ED still not available.

Toyota Prius is made in Japan, Thailand, and China.

From what I've read, when Honda originally designed the Insight, Honda planned to price it much lower than the current starting price ($15k-$16k). But the yen to dollar ratio changed rapidly and by the time the car was ready, Honda couldn't price it that low. The whole idea of the Insight was to be the cheapest family hybrid by far. But when honda had to jack up the price, that strategy obviously would not work.

MDX sales is still very strong, despite entering its last model year....even with incentives.

I'm guessing dealers are still trying to get rid the remaining 2012 RDX's?

F23A4

....and I was one of the buyers that snapped up a 12 MDX Tech since Acura was in the mood to dump them.

Edward'TLS

The V6 in the new RDX is obviously a much better engine choice than the lousy turbo-I4 used previously.

Premium vehicles deserve premium motors (V6, V8, .....).

TSX69

American Honda Reports October Sales: Double-Digit Accord Gains Fueled by All-New Model; Acura RDX Sets Record, Up 62%

American Honda today reported October 2012 U.S. sales of 106,973 units, an increase of 8.8 percent compared with October 2011. The Honda Division posted October 2012 sales of 94,810 units, an increase of 8.7% compared with October 2011. Acura U.S. October sales of 12,163 units increased 9.4% compared with October 2011.

Honda
- Accord leads all Honda vehicles in October with sales of 28,349 units, posting a 25% gain compared to the year prior, as production of all-new 2013 Accord has ramped up

- Civic gains 27% compared with October 2011 with sales of 20,687 units

- CR-V, Crosstour, Ridgeline and Fit all post October sales gains

"The strong momentum of Honda sales continues despite the end-of-month timing of Hurricane Sandy, but our chief concern right now is with those who have been impacted by this devastating natural disaster," said John Mendel, American Honda executive vice president of Sales. "With sales of the all-new Accord building each month, we look forward to Honda's solid end-of-year finish."

Acura
- RDX sets its 6th-consecutive monthly sales record with 2,659 units, up 62% compared with October 2011 and is on track for an all-time annual sales mark

- MDX and RDX combine to set new October light-truck sales record of 6,476 units, up 18% from October 2011

"Acura's 1-2punch of luxury performance SUVs is obviously resonating with consumers, with new October records set for both RDX and our truck lineup," said Jeff Conrad, vice president of Acura Sales. "With our sedan lineup growing stronger via the new ILX and the upcoming debut of the all-new Acura RLX, Acura continues to gain momentum."

The daily selling rate (DSR) is calculated with 26 days for October 2012 and 26 days for October 2011. Year-to-date, the DSR is calculated with 256 days for 2012 and 255 days for 2011. All other percentages in release are unadjusted; see table for adjusted DSR figures.

ttribe

Looks like ILX may be cannibalizing off TSX.

biker

+1, except the wagon.

Moog-Type-S

Oddy dropped in sales.....hmmmm.

The Insight.

AZuser

Even more reason for Acura to kill off the TSX so the ILX can reach the 40K per year sales target.

AZuser

Time to kill off the Insight like the ZDX. Without the Insight, maybe people will gravitate to the Civic hybrid or CR-Z?

ttribe

Only if the ILX is profitable, otherwise it would be just plain stupid.

Hapa DC5

The ILX is built here right? TSX is Japan built so I'm sure that makes it more profitable.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

I'm pretty sure the TSX is no longer profitable. This is why the ILX is being built. Fit is another example where Honda is losing money on each unit sold. That won't be a problem in the future though as it will be built in North America soon.

pimpin-tl

I thought the current body style of the TSX is built here. The last gen was japan but not the current one.

EhkoXC

Nope, TSX is still built in Japan, 95% Japanese parts too if I remember my sticker right. I do think Acura is squeezing the supply of the TSX though, my local dealer has a few, but not many in stock and I don't expect them to get many more.

Good to see Honda and Acura up for the year as a whole, I just hope they roll those profits into fun projects like the rumored mini-NSX .

It's very interesting that the TSX Wagon is up so sharply this month. Are people trying to buy them up before they're potentially all gone?

SSFTSX

It is not TSX that is holding ILX. even if TSX gone tommorrow it wont improve ILX chance. There is now new Accord that is far superior especially in V6 form to ILX.





TSX is still very competitive. it just need new Accord electronics, lights and engine update. and it would still sell above 2000 a month. add V6/6AT to wagaon. ur potentially looking at above 3k monthly sales. although it may cannibalize RDX sales.

SSFTSX

No longer productio constraint and still stagnating and that even without new hybrids from Honda and Nissan.
New Civic/Sentra/Pathfinder is surely going to increase the gap.

http://blog.al.com/businessnews/2012...l_4_perce.html
Korean automaker Hyundai today reported a 4 percent fall in its U.S. sales for October, a drop the company blamed on political and economic uncertainty.

Sales of the cars Hyundai produces at its Montgomery plant were mixed. The Sonata sedan registered sales of 16,773 last month, an 8 percent decline from October 2011, while sales of the Elantra compact rose 11.6 percent to 14,512.

Across its model lines, Hyundai sold 50,271 vehicles in the U.S. during October, compared to 52,402 a year ago.

"October was a somewhat challenging month for us and the industry," Dave Zuchowski, executive vice president of sales for Hyundai Motor America, said in a prepared statement.

He cited the tight presidential race, lingering economic uncertainty and Superstorm Sandy's impact on dealers in key U.S. Northeast markets.

TSX69

Honda Reports All-Time Bes November Sales

American Honda reports an all-time record for the month of November, with November 2012 U.S. sales of 116,580 units, an increase of 38.9% compared with November 2011. The Honda Division posted November 2012 sales of 104,334 units, an increase of 41.0% compared with November 2011. Acura U.S. November sales of 12,246 units represents an increase of 23.6% over November 2011.

Honda
- Segment-leading Civic breaks 12-year-old November record (1990) with sales of 30,075 units, up 75% from a year ago

- All-new Accord continues to ramp up with 26,248 sales, up 82% from last November

- CR-V sets it 9th monthly sales record for 2012, up 36 percent to 22,333 sales

"We are now surpassing sales records set pre-recession, a true sign that our business has recovered," said John Mendel, American Honda executive vice president of Sales. "Honda's all-time best November demonstrates the fundamental strength of our core products. The new Accord is hitting its stride, and with the new Civic now arriving in dealerships, we're ready for a strong finish to 2012."

Acura
- RDX sets its 7th-consecutive monthly sales record, up 129% from a year ago with 3,036 sales

- MDX was the top selling Acura model in November, with 3,368 sales

- ILX gains traction as the top selling Acura sedan in November, with 2,108 sales

"While the MDX leads the lineup in sales, the record-setting sales of RDX and ILX are doing a great job as the gateway to the Acura lineup in bringing new customers to the brand," said Jeff Conrad, vice president of Acura Sales. "The combination of Acura's growing lineup and rising industry sales are fueling Acura's momentum as we head into 2013."

The daily selling rate (DSR) is calculated with 25 days for November 2012 and 25 days for November 2011. Year-to-date, the DSR is calculated with 281 days for 2012 and 280 days for 2011. All other percentages in release are unadjusted; see table for adjusted DSR figures.

For more information about Honda vehicles, please visit www.automobiles.honda.com. For media inquiries please visit www.hondanews.com. For more information about Acura vehicles, please visit www.acura.com. For media inquiries please visit www.acuranews.com.

EhkoXC

Wow, the RDX had a great month, looks like Acura really did hit it out of the park there.

Though, Acura's top selling sedan last month was the ILX?!

I know the TSX is being killed off and somewhat supply limited (or at least it seems in my area), but what happened to the TL?

AZuser

Hyundai Motor America Breaks All-Time November Sales Record

-- Hyundai Elantra, Azera and All-New Santa Fe, receive ALG's award for the highest residual value in their class; all post solid sales gains

-- Elantra sees sales gain of 28 percent

COSTA MESA, Calif., Dec. 3, 2012 -- Hyundai Motor America today announced record sales of 53,487 vehicles in November, an eight percent total sales increase compared with the same record-setting period a year ago. Sales are also up eight percent for the first eleven months of the year.

"The Black Friday sales period once again provided a strong boost for Hyundai in the back half of the month and helped break our all-time November sales record," said Dave Zuchowski, executive vice president of sales. "We were also very encouraged by the strong sales recovery experienced in those northeastern regions that were ravaged by Super Storm Sandy and expect continued momentum there for the balance of the year."

The recent recipients of ALG's award for the highest residual value -- Azera, Elantra and Santa Fe -- all experienced solid sales gains over last November, with Elantra up 28 percent. Sonata sales continue to be strong registering a 13 percent uptick for the month. Additionally, the new three-row, seven-passenger Santa Fe made its world debut at last week's 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show, joining the two-row, five-passenger Santa Fe Sport, and will be on sale early 2013.

"We're encouraged that the 10 percent month-over-month lift firms like Compete have seen in our shopper counts has translated to our best-ever November retail sales and total sales," said John Krafcik, president and CEO, Hyundai Motor America. "With increased Elantra availability, thanks to the recently added third shift in our Alabama plant, and demand high for everything in our lineup from Accent to Equus, we're looking forward to breaking our all-time annual sales record early in December."




--------------------------------------


Kia Motors America Announces Best-Ever November Sales And 27th Consecutive Monthly Sales Record

U.S. Sales Surpass 500,000 Vehicles for First Time in Company History; Annual Sales Up 17.3 Percent

Kia Motors America (KMA) has been one of the fastest-growing car companies in the U.S. over the last five years[1], and November saw the brand achieve its 27th straight month of record sales with 41,055 units sold, a 10.9-percent increase over the same period in 2011. Year-to-date sales are up 17.3 percent over 2011, and the brand achieved another important milestone in November with the sale of its 500,000th vehicle in 2012 – a first for Kia in the U.S. The U.S.-built* Optima midsize sedan has been Kia's best-selling vehicle each month in 2012, and that trend continued in November with 12,715 units sold, and together with the popular Sorento CUV – also built at Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia – represents more than 40 percent of Kia's record November volume.

"Kia has sustained record-setting momentum for more than two years, and eclipsing the 500,000 vehicle sales mark for the first time is an historic achievement for KMA and our dealers," said Byung Mo Ahn, group president and CEO of KMA and Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia. "The popular Optima is on track to set an all-time single year record for a Kia nameplate, and the upcoming launches of the all-new 2014 Forte sedan and refreshed 2014 Sorento unveiled last week at the Los Angeles Auto Show will take the value equation we are known for and advance it to new levels of sophistication with exciting technologies such as the next generation UVO eServices hands-free infotainment system."

speedemon90

I wonder how much sales were inflated this month cause of hurricane sandy

SSFTSX

Kia/Hyundai combined sales are now less than Nissan let alone Honda/Acura. so it is still stagnating compared to Honda/Nissan.
Mexico built Fit/City is going to create more competition for Elantra.

There are still hybrid models from Honda coming next year.

AZuser

Hyundai/Kia have always had lower sales #s vs their competitors (i.e. Honda, Toyota, Nissan, etc.). Nothing new here.

You obviously don't know what stagnant means.

Stagnant:
Explain to me how Hyundai/Kia are stagnating again?

Better yet, don't.

Hapa DC5

^ According to SSFTSX, it is perfectly fine for the RLX to be considered a dolled up Accord.

Let's hurry up and get the 0-60 times for the AWD RLX so he can self ban.

TSX69

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dl...lume-climbs-15

PHP Code:

Automaker    Nov. 2012    Nov. 2011    Pct. chng.    11 month
2012    11 month
2011    Pct. chng.
    BMW division    31,213    21,521    45%    244,061    221,073    10%
    Mini    5,248    4,750    11%    59,667    51,800    15%
    Rolls-Royce    32    31    3%    352    331    6%
BMW Group    36,493    26,302    39%    304,080    273,204    11%
    Chrysler Division    18,766    18,577    1%    282,454    197,372    43%
    Dodge    40,075    30,317    32%    472,598    409,492    15%
    Dodge/Ram    65,149    50,731    28%    742,641    640,507    16%
    Fiat    3,603    1,618    123%    40,065    17,444    130%
    Jeep    35,047    36,246    –3%    434,260    375,772    16%
    Ram    25,074    20,414    23%    270,043    231,015    17%
Chrysler Group    122,565    107,172    14%    1,499,420    1,231,095    22%
    Maybach    3    4    –25%    42    35    20%
    Mercedes-Benz    31,945    27,841    15%    264,616    234,473    13%
    Smart USA    704    414    70%    9,013    4,498    100%
Daimler AG    32,652    28,259    16%    273,671    239,006    15%
    Ford division    171,360    160,136    7%    1,955,341    1,856,166    5%
    Lincoln    5,732    6,305    –9%    74,766    77,240    –3%
    Mercury    –    –    –%    –    248    –100%
Ford Motor Co.    177,092    166,441    6%    2,030,107    1,933,654    5%
    Buick    13,289    10,880    22%    163,935    162,659    1%
    Cadillac    14,517    11,145    30%    131,534    136,130    –3%
    Chevrolet    128,867    128,907    0%    1,684,555    1,614,644    4%
    GMC    29,832    29,470    1%    369,960    356,013    4%
General Motors    186,505    180,402    3%    2,349,984    2,269,446    4%
    Acura    12,246    9,909    24%    140,182    110,170    27%
    Honda Division    104,334    74,016    41%    1,149,829    931,885    23%
Honda (American)    116,580    83,925    39%    1,290,011    1,042,055    24%
    Hyundai division    53,487    46,610    8%    643,572    594,926    8%
    Kia    41,055    37,008    11%    518,421    442,103    17%
Hyundai Group    94,542    86,618    9%    1,161,993    1,037,029    12%
    Jaguar    713    915    –22%    10,962    11,119    –1%
    Land Rover    3,687    3,820    –4%    38,490    33,356    15%
Jaguar Land Rover    4,400    4,735    –7%    49,452    44,475    11%
Maserati    208    191    9%    2,397    2,083    15%
Mazda    21,691    18,432    18%    249,795    228,073    10%
Mitsubishi    3,574    3,735    –4%    53,677    73,988    –28%
    Infiniti    11,897    8,428    41%    107,250    87,471    23%
    Nissan Division    84,300    76,754    10%    935,116    854,136    10%
Nissan    96,197    85,182    13%    1,042,366    941,607    11%
Saab Cars North America    –    356    –100%    –    5,340    –100%
Subaru    28,206    17,657    60%    299,788    233,288    29%
Suzuki    2,224    1,822    22%    23,412    24,053    –3%
    Lexus    22,719    19,458    17%    213,559    173,197    23%
    Scion    5,606    3,553    58%    67,983    45,112    51%
    Toyota division    133,370    114,949    16%    1,606,819    1,248,220    29%
    Toyota/Scion    138,976    118,502    17%    1,674,802    1,293,332    30%
Toyota    161,695    137,960    17%    1,888,361    1,466,529    29%
    Audi    12,067    9,700    24%    124,469    104,906    19%
    Bentley    212    138    54%    2,078    1,560    33%
    Lamborghini    40    29    38%    440    311    42%
    Porsche    3,865    2,255    71%    32,091    27,189    18%
    VW division    36,728    28,413    29%    394,128    291,901    35%
Volkswagen    52,912    40,535    31%    553,206    425,867    30%
Volvo Cars NA    6,141    4,844    27%    61,967    61,898    0%
    Other (estimate)**    239    229    4%    2,619    2,506    5%
TOTAL    1,143,916    994,797    15%    13,136,306    11,535,196    14%

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/20121203/RETAIL01/121209996#ixzz2E5LTy678 


U.S. auto sales -- led by BMW, American Honda and Volkswagen Group -- rose 15 percent to 1.14 million in November, exceeding analysts' forecasts and setting the stage for the industry to finish 2012 on a high note heading into the new year.

The annualized industry sales rate, adjusted for seasonal trends, accelerated to 15.56 million -- the highest rate since 15.59 million in January 2008.

Analysts expected November's sales pace to rebound from the 14.3 million rate in October, when Hurricane Sandy dented deliveries late in the month.

The sales rate was 13.6 million in November 2011.

U.S. light-vehicle sales were forecast to rise 12 percent in November to 1.11 million units, based on the average estimate from 10 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

Industry demand has now increased 14 percent to 13.14 million units this year through November and is on track for a third consecutive annual increase of 10 percent or more.

Analysts expect U.S. sales to reach about 14.4 million in 2012 and top 15 million units next year.

"This is an industry that's growing stronger even without the Sandy effect," Jenny Lin, Ford's senior U.S. economist, said today. "We still have a lot of replacement demand, because we have a very aged vehicle fleet on the road."

American Honda -- fully recovered from last year's earthquake in Japan and benefiting from new models -- set a November sales record of 116,580, up 39 percent. Honda division volume surged 41 percent to 104,334, while Acura volume rose 24 percent to 12,246.

"We are now surpassing sales records set pre-recession, a true sign that our business has recovered," John Mendel, American Honda executive vice president of sales, said in a statement. "The new Accord is hitting its stride, and with the new Civic now arriving in dealerships, we're ready for a strong finish to 2012."

'Momentum is strong'

BMW Group, behind a 45 percent increase in BMW brand volume, posted a 39 percent increase in November sales, helped by wider availability of certain models.

"Supply is catching up with demand," Ludwig Willisch, CEO of BMW of North America, said in a statement. "The momentum is strong in this final month of the year."

VW brand said sales rose 29 percent last month, the 15th consecutive month of gains of 22 percent or more, while Toyota Motor Sales reported a 17 percent increase.

At the Toyota brand, car sales advanced 17 percent to 76,993, with the Corolla setting a November sales record of 22,616, and light-truck volume jumped 18 percent.

"Pent-up demand, record low finance rates and exciting new products are ... driving demand," Bill Fay, Toyota Division general manager, said in a statement.

Chrysler Group posted a 14 percent increase in November sales, led by a 27 percent jump in car deliveries and major gains at the Dodge, Ram and Fiat brands. General Motors and Ford Motor Co. produced smaller advances.

Despite mixed economic signals and sluggish job gains, the auto industry's sales advances are being fueled by growing credit availability, aging cars and trucks that need to be replaced, low interest rates and new models.

Lin, Ford's senior U.S. economist, said the industry gained about 20,000 to 30,000 sales in November as a result of Hurricane Sandy. She said much of those sales were merely purchases that were deferred from late October, when the storm hit, with additional gains to come as consumers replace damaged vehicles and buy pickups to help rebuild in the region.

Eyes on Washington

The outcome of talks over taxes and the budget deficit in Washington could also weigh on auto sales in coming months.

"Exactly how much growth we can expect next year will depend in part on how Congress and the president resolve the fiscal cliff issue," Kurt McNeil, vice president of U.S. sales operations for GM, said in a statement today. "Consumers hate uncertainty, so an agreement on ways to reduce long-term federal budget deficits could remove an impediment to growth."

Nissan North America reported a 13 percent increase. Chrysler said Dodge sales rose 32 percent, Ram demand jumped 23 percent and Fiat volume surged 123 percent over November 2011.

At the Chrysler brand, sales edged up 1 percent, while volume dropped 3 percent at Jeep, Chrysler Group said. The company's truck sales rose 10 percent last month.

"We are expecting a strong December as the industry continues to recover from the East Coast hurricane and consumers continue to respond to our popular year-end Big Finish event," Reid Bigland, Chrysler Group's head of U.S. sales, said in a statement.

GM said its November sales rose 3 percent, led by a 30 percent gain at Cadillac and 22 percent increase at Buick. GMC's sales rose 1 percent. Volume was flat at Chevrolet.

Ford's sales increased 6 percent, aided by demand for fuel-efficient models and pickups, with the Ford division up 7 percent and Lincoln off 9 percent. The company's retail sales rose 12 percent over November 2011. Ford said its car deliveries climbed 15 percent, utility sales rose 2 percent and truck volume increased 4 percent.

Ford said it had its best small car November sales month since 2000, with Focus, C-MAX hybrid and Fiesta sales totaling 26,848 vehicles – a 76 percent increase over last year.

Hyundai, Kia records on track

Hyundai division, helped by the Black Friday sales period and increased availability of the Elantra compact, said sales rose 8 percent to 53,487 units last month. The company added it expects to set an annual U.S. sales record early this month, suggesting it does not see any major consumer fallout after recently admitting it inflated fuel-economy claims on many models.

"We were ... very encouraged by the strong sales recovery experienced in those northeastern regions that were ravaged by Superstorm Sandy and expect continued momentum there for the balance of the year," Dave Zuchowski, executive vice president of sales for Hyundai, said in a statement.

At Kia, which has also adjusted fuel-economy claims after an investigation by the EPA, sales climbed 11 percent last month and the automaker said it remains on track to set an annual U.S. sales record in 2012.

Among major automakers, GM, Ford, Hyundai-Kia, Nissan and the BMW Group have lost market share this year, while Toyota Motor, Honda Motor, Chrysler Group and the VW Group have gained ground.

Subaru, hobbled for most of 2011 because of inventory shortages following the March 2011 earthquake in Japan, reported a 60 percent surge in November volume and is on track to set an annual sales record.

Suzuki, which is exiting the U.S. market, said sales jumped 22 percent to 2,224 last month, its biggest gain since February, though deliveries are off 3 percent at 23,412 for the year.

Honda dealers began the month with almost double the inventory available in November 2011. Honda and Acura dealers faced shortages a year ago after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and floods in Thailand disrupted production and parts supply.

The U.S. car and light-truck market has been in steady recovery this year, topping out at an annualized pace of 14.9 million units in September, the best since March 2008, and before last month.

Many automakers -- notably luxury brands -- also launched year-end and holiday promotions early this year.

New models and year-end incentives helped sales at Lexus advance 17 percent to 22,719 last month. Porsche reported a 71 percent increase in November volume and said it may set an annual U.S. sales record in 2012.

TrueCar.com estimates average incentives rose 4.4 percent from a year ago to $2,764 in November. Incentives last month also rose about 19 percent from October, TrueCar says, as many import brands, led by Nissan, hiked discounts.

Nissan and GM offered the highest incentives last month, while Toyota, Hyundai/Kia and Volkswagen offered the lowest deals, TrueCar estimates.

The U.S. market averaged 16.8 million light-vehicle deliveries annually from 2000 to 2007, but volume dropped to 10.4 million in 2009, a 27-year-low.

Nick Bunkley and Bloomberg contributed to this report

You can reach David Phillips at dphillips@crain.com.

biker

The TSX wagon is doing quite well - I wonder how it stacks up vs. Audi, BMW and Volvo wagons?

fsttyms1

Yea but you can't (ah,what am isaying, we all know you can and will find a way) even compare the ILX to the Accord? They are 2 COMPLETELY different cars, especially in size. Anyone shopping for something the size of the accord would NEVER cross shop the ILX (which is tiny inside).